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NORTHERN COUNTIES NOTES

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699 Shortly afterwards he was found dead with the bottle half empty by his side. Worries and anxieties of a financial kind were shown to have preyed much upon his mind of late and no doubt disturbed his mental balance. Mr. Wynter had been a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England since 1861 and practised at Kenilworth. His manner was always kindly and genial, his public duties were conducted in an exemplary manner, and his friendship was held in esteem by all who knew him. He was unmarried. March 3rd. _______________ MANCHESTER. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Manckester and Salford Sanitary Association. ar th THE annual meeting of the Manchester and Salford £ Sanitary Association was held on the 19th ult., Dr. Leech B, presiding, in the absence of the Lord Mayor. The report pr showed the existence of serious overcrowding in Manchester, of and also that a large proportion of the present dwellings tl were unfit for human habitation and could not be made so ar by structural alterations. Some attention was, therefore, m given to the question of cooperating with the City Council in B their efforts ,.to supply improved dwellings. A good deal , of prejudice, fairly to be called ignorant, has existed against the block of workmen’s dwellings in Oldham-road, e1 and in consequence of "an outcry" having been raised oj a deputation visited them and reported "that the arrange- t( ments for health and comfort seemed quite satisfactory S and that the tenants of the dwellings were invariably satisfied." Opportunities at the various lectures given under 11 the auspices of the association were taken advantage of to sl combat the prejudices against the so-called "barracks." t( But more practical cooperation was thought to be needed, and arrangements have been made by the association for a t] conference on the subject, " which it was hoped might lead to the initiation of some plan for supplementing, by means a of private enterprise or otherwise, the provision of dwellings p made by the Corporation." The committee were indebted u to their colleague Mr. William Thomson for a series o of reports on the debris of exploded lamps received i; from the police through the courtesy of the Chief Con- 0 stable, and in consequence of the evidence thus obtained they were induced to press upon the Government " the importance of raising the present low flash-point of the mineral oils imported to this country." A conference is t also to be held at an early date to discuss the sewage s question, which is an important one for Manchester just now. An important event in the past year was the publication of the report of the committee for testing smoke preventing t appliances-an offshoot of one of the branches of the associa- é tion. This report-not a hasty one, for it had taken six g years to prepare and embodied an enormous amount of close and accurate work-" demonstrated that the c smoke produced by steam-boiler furnaces and in some manufacturing processes might be prevented." The committee therefore had joined other kindred associations in preparing a memorial to the Local Government Board in favour of Government inspection and con- trol of the nuisance. The committee also memorialised the Home Secretary on the subject of carbolic acid poisoning. The association does good work for the community, and might do more to an almost indefinite extent if it were not crippled by want of funds. Manchester is not often charged with want of public spirit, but it is not to its credit that so little is shown towards this association that the income has " dropped to the low sum of £ 144, which was inadequate to pay ordinary standing expenses." In contemplation of the approaching conferences, &c., an appeal is made for special donations and subscriptions. In moving the adoption of the report Dr. Leech stated that at the present death- rate Manchester and Salford paid a death-toll of 4400 lives more than if the health conditions of Manchester and Salford were equal to the average of those which prevailed generally in England. He spoke of the educational work of the association by lectures and tracts, the special and practical teaching in hygienic matters by the Ladies’ Health Society and of the influence it was, enabled to bring on various authorities. As regards infectious disease, "of late an advance had been made which placed Manchester in front of almost all, if not of all, other towns." The medical officer of health, Dr. Niven, and Professor Delepine have arranged that in cases of sus- pected infectious disease "materials were sent to the bacteriological laboratory which enabled a diagnosis to be made at once." The result was communicated to the medical officer of health, and a saving of two or three days often effected in what might be a very serious case. As Professor Delepine said, but for the facilities ofEered by Owens College it would be necessary for the Corporation to equip and maintain on their own account a bacteriological laboratory. St. Mary’s Hospital: End of the Stanley Grove Scheme. The annual meeting of the subscribers to the St. Mary’s Hospital was held on the 22nd ult., Mr. Duncan Matheson presiding. The most important part of the report related to the negotiations with the Lewis Trustees to establish an amalgamation with the Manchester Southern Hospital, which L the trustees made a primary condition for the grant of £ 70,000. These negotiations have lasted three years, and the Board thinks they have in many respects been needlessly tprolonged. "The whole may be briefly summarised as an oiler to bestow the gift only on the condition of a transfer of the whole assets of the hospital, which now exceed .6100,000; and that the joint hospital should be built in Satnley- , grove on land belonging to the Owens College." The Board states that the conditions of the Lewis Trust " involve the abolition of St. Mary’s Hospital and the absorption of the whole of its acquired property for the , endowment and maintenance of a hospital under the control dof the Owens College." It declines to remove the hospital :- to a site "beyond the sphere of its operations, not only in Salford, but in Hulme, Ancoats, Oldbam-road, and many 7 other like districts of congested population, whence the r majority of the patients at St. Mary’s are supplied," The o statement of the financial position shows that in 1895 the " total income was £ 3171 14s. 3d. and the expenditure was .63899 16s. 5d., or a deficiency of .6728 2s. 2d. In 1896 a the income was .63245 14s. 6d. and the expenditure d £ 3901 16s. lld., showing a deficiency of J::656 2s. 5d. The annual deficit thus approaches £ 700, "which is occasionally )Is relieved by bequests received of less than .6500," which, under the by-laws, may be so appropriated. Whatever ’s opinion may be held as to the wisdom of declining to enter d into the proposed scheme, there is no doubt as to the desire 1- of the Board to come to a right decision. The Children’s Hospital, Pendlebury. )f f The sixty-eighth annual meeting of governors was held on is the 24th ult., when the need for wider financial support was fg strongly urged by the Dean of Manchester, who presided. v. The Manchester Consumption Hospital. The annual meeting of supporters of this charity was held the week before last, and as a pleasant contrast to the a- despondent tone of too many such documents the report ix showed a sound financial position. This state of affairs nt warranted the Board in declaring their intentions to bring he about some excellent developments in future. ae March 2nd. NORTHERN COUNTIES NOTES. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Report of the Police Establishment on the State of Crime ir Ne7vcastle-upon.Tyne during the year 1896. CAPTAIN NICHOLLS, the chief constable of Newcastle- upon-Tyne, has just issued his twenty-eighth annual report showing the amount of crime dealt with during the year 1896. The report shows an increase of drunkenness, particularly among women, accounted for in the opinion of the police by the improved condition of trade. The increase of 15 per cent. in the cases of drunkenness among women accounts to some extent for the large number of children brought before the magistrates on account of their being neglected or ill-treated by their parents. One hundred and nine parents were pro ceeded against by the police for the ill treatment or neglect. of their children ; 167, as against 92, children under sixteen years of age, a large majority of whom were considerably under sixteen years of age, were arrested for stealing. Forty- seven children were committed to reformatories, industrial schools, or to the workhouse. Attention, too, is drawn to the very large number of young persons proceeded against for misconduct in the streets, such as gambling and the
Transcript

699

Shortly afterwards he was found dead with the bottle halfempty by his side. Worries and anxieties of a financial kindwere shown to have preyed much upon his mind of late andno doubt disturbed his mental balance. Mr. Wynter had beena Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Englandsince 1861 and practised at Kenilworth. His manner was

always kindly and genial, his public duties were conducted in an exemplary manner, and his friendship was held inesteem by all who knew him. He was unmarried.March 3rd.

_______________

MANCHESTER.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Manckester and Salford Sanitary Association. ar

thTHE annual meeting of the Manchester and Salford £

Sanitary Association was held on the 19th ult., Dr. Leech B,presiding, in the absence of the Lord Mayor. The report prshowed the existence of serious overcrowding in Manchester, ofand also that a large proportion of the present dwellings tlwere unfit for human habitation and could not be made so arby structural alterations. Some attention was, therefore, mgiven to the question of cooperating with the City Council in Btheir efforts ,.to supply improved dwellings. A good deal ,of prejudice, fairly to be called ignorant, has existedagainst the block of workmen’s dwellings in Oldham-road, e1and in consequence of "an outcry" having been raised oja deputation visited them and reported "that the arrange- t(ments for health and comfort seemed quite satisfactory Sand that the tenants of the dwellings were invariably satisfied." Opportunities at the various lectures given under 11the auspices of the association were taken advantage of to slcombat the prejudices against the so-called "barracks." t(But more practical cooperation was thought to be needed,and arrangements have been made by the association for a t]conference on the subject, " which it was hoped might leadto the initiation of some plan for supplementing, by means aof private enterprise or otherwise, the provision of dwellings pmade by the Corporation." The committee were indebted u to their colleague Mr. William Thomson for a series oof reports on the debris of exploded lamps received i;from the police through the courtesy of the Chief Con- 0

stable, and in consequence of the evidence thus obtained

they were induced to press upon the Government " theimportance of raising the present low flash-point ofthe mineral oils imported to this country." A conference is t

also to be held at an early date to discuss the sewage s

question, which is an important one for Manchester just now.An important event in the past year was the publication ofthe report of the committee for testing smoke preventing tappliances-an offshoot of one of the branches of the associa- étion. This report-not a hasty one, for it had taken six g

years to prepare and embodied an enormous amount ‘of close and accurate work-" demonstrated that the csmoke produced by steam-boiler furnaces and in some

manufacturing processes might be prevented." Thecommittee therefore had joined other kindred associationsin preparing a memorial to the Local GovernmentBoard in favour of Government inspection and con-

trol of the nuisance. The committee also memorialised theHome Secretary on the subject of carbolic acid poisoning.The association does good work for the community, andmight do more to an almost indefinite extent if it were notcrippled by want of funds. Manchester is not often chargedwith want of public spirit, but it is not to its credit that solittle is shown towards this association that the income has" dropped to the low sum of £ 144, which was inadequate topay ordinary standing expenses." In contemplation of theapproaching conferences, &c., an appeal is made for specialdonations and subscriptions. In moving the adoption ofthe report Dr. Leech stated that at the present death-rate Manchester and Salford paid a death-toll of 4400lives more than if the health conditions of Manchesterand Salford were equal to the average of thosewhich prevailed generally in England. He spoke of theeducational work of the association by lectures and tracts,the special and practical teaching in hygienic matters bythe Ladies’ Health Society and of the influence it was,enabled to bring on various authorities. As regardsinfectious disease, "of late an advance had been madewhich placed Manchester in front of almost all, if not ofall, other towns." The medical officer of health, Dr. Niven,

and Professor Delepine have arranged that in cases of sus-pected infectious disease "materials were sent to the

bacteriological laboratory which enabled a diagnosis to bemade at once." The result was communicated to themedical officer of health, and a saving of two or three daysoften effected in what might be a very serious case. AsProfessor Delepine said, but for the facilities ofEered by OwensCollege it would be necessary for the Corporation to equipand maintain on their own account a bacteriologicallaboratory.

St. Mary’s Hospital: End of the Stanley Grove Scheme.The annual meeting of the subscribers to the St. Mary’s

Hospital was held on the 22nd ult., Mr. Duncan Mathesonpresiding. The most important part of the report related tothe negotiations with the Lewis Trustees to establish an

amalgamation with the Manchester Southern Hospital, which

L the trustees made a primary condition for the grant of£ 70,000. These negotiations have lasted three years, and theBoard thinks they have in many respects been needlessly

tprolonged. "The whole may be briefly summarised as an’ oiler to bestow the gift only on the condition of a transfer of

the whole assets of the hospital, which now exceed .6100,000;and that the joint hospital should be built in Satnley-, grove on land belonging to the Owens College." The

Board states that the conditions of the Lewis Trust" involve the abolition of St. Mary’s Hospital and the

absorption of the whole of its acquired property for the, endowment and maintenance of a hospital under the controldof the Owens College." It declines to remove the hospital:- to a site "beyond the sphere of its operations, not only inSalford, but in Hulme, Ancoats, Oldbam-road, and many7 other like districts of congested population, whence ther majority of the patients at St. Mary’s are supplied," Theo statement of the financial position shows that in 1895 the"

total income was £ 3171 14s. 3d. and the expenditurewas .63899 16s. 5d., or a deficiency of .6728 2s. 2d. In 1896

a the income was .63245 14s. 6d. and the expenditured £ 3901 16s. lld., showing a deficiency of J::656 2s. 5d. The

annual deficit thus approaches £ 700, "which is occasionally)Is relieved by bequests received of less than .6500," which,

under the by-laws, may be so appropriated. Whatever’s opinion may be held as to the wisdom of declining to enterd into the proposed scheme, there is no doubt as to the desire1- of the Board to come to a right decision.

The Children’s Hospital, Pendlebury.)f f The sixty-eighth annual meeting of governors was held onis the 24th ult., when the need for wider financial support wasfg strongly urged by the Dean of Manchester, who presided.v. The Manchester Consumption Hospital.

The annual meeting of supporters of this charity was heldthe week before last, and as a pleasant contrast to the

a- despondent tone of too many such documents the reportix showed a sound financial position. This state of affairsnt warranted the Board in declaring their intentions to bringhe about some excellent developments in future.ae March 2nd.

NORTHERN COUNTIES NOTES.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Report of the Police Establishment on the State of Crime irNe7vcastle-upon.Tyne during the year 1896.

CAPTAIN NICHOLLS, the chief constable of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, has just issued his twenty-eighth annual reportshowing the amount of crime dealt with during the year 1896.The report shows an increase of drunkenness, particularlyamong women, accounted for in the opinion of the police bythe improved condition of trade. The increase of 15 per cent.in the cases of drunkenness among women accounts to someextent for the large number of children brought before themagistrates on account of their being neglected or ill-treatedby their parents. One hundred and nine parents were proceeded against by the police for the ill treatment or neglect.of their children ; 167, as against 92, children under sixteenyears of age, a large majority of whom were considerablyunder sixteen years of age, were arrested for stealing. Forty-seven children were committed to reformatories, industrialschools, or to the workhouse. Attention, too, is drawn tothe very large number of young persons proceeded againstfor misconduct in the streets, such as gambling and the

700

minor offences of stone-throwing and football. A gracefulcompliment is paid to Dr. W. D. Arnison and Dr. Beattie forthe way in which ambulance instruction has been given bythem to the city police. The general health of the policehas been good. The report shows a wonderful immunityfrom serious crime, notwithstanding the increase ofdrunkenness.

Dr. Arnison.The rule at the Royal Infirmary at Newcastle-upon-Tyne

under which members of the honorary staff have to resignupon reaching the age of sixty years now applies to thesenior surgeon, Dr. Arnison, who has tendered his resigna-tion. Dr. Arnison, who has been connected with the insti-tution for upwards of thirty years, has already received thethanks of the committee representing the governors for thevaluable services he has rendered to the charity during hislong career, and he will be appointed consulting surgeon tothe infirmary. Everyone regrets Dr. Arnison’s retirementfrom active duty.

Tynemouth Infirmary.Mr. Edwards of Corbridge has offered to pay the salary of

a resident medical officer at Tynemouth Infirmary for threeyears if the committee will appoint such an officer, and inaddition he will make a donation of £ 100 to the funds of theinstitution. At present there is no resident medical officer,and the need of one is much felt. It is proposed to amalga-mate the dispensary with the infirmary, and till this is accom-plished Mr. Edwards’s generous offer is to stand over. Therecan, however, be little doubt that it will be the means ofhastening the amalgamation.March 2nd.

SCOTLAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Edinburgh Town Council and the New City Hospital.AT a special meeting of the Edinburgh Town Council, held

last week, the public health committee submitted a reportanent the new City Fever Hospital, in which they recom-mended that accommodation be provided for 600 beds and laidbefore the council probable estimates of the cost of buildingsto accommodate 400, 500, and 600 beds respectively.The estimates ran as follows : For 600 beds, £ 233 700 ; for500 beds, £ 212,678 ; and for 400 beds, £181,989. Themedical officer of health, the consulting physician, and themedical superintendent of the hospital were all in favour ofaccommodation being provided for 600 beds. In moving theadoption of the report Bailie Pollard indicated the extentto which demand for accommodation in the hospital hadincreased during the last few years. Five years ago theaverage daily number of patients in the hospital had been150, In the year 1895-96 there had been on an average 302beds occupied daily, the number ranging from 459 to 250,and he thought the council might be sure that after the newhospital was built the public would be still more ready to ’,send their cases of infectious disease to it for treatment. In

seconding the report Mr. Mitchell Thomson argued that,although at present 500 beds might be sufficient for them,it would cost much more in the end if they delayed theerection of part of the hospital. In the discussion thatfollowed there was a considerable difference of opinion as tothe size of the proposed hospital. The accommodationprovided for fever patients in such towns as Glasgow,Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, and Dundee was cited as

showing that the proposed accommodation in the new

hospital was much in excess of what the population inEdinburgh required. Glasgow with its population of

703,000 had 700 fever beds, Manchester with 536,000of population had 580 beds, Leeds with 402,000 had400 beds, and in Sheffield, where the inhabitants numbered350,000, they had only 234 beds ; while in Edinburgh,with a population of only 292,000, they proposed erectingaccommodation for 600 fever patients. In the end 25votes were given for 600 beds, and 11 for 500. The recom-mendation in the report of the public health committeehaving thus been adopted it was remitted to the publichealth committee to obtain estimates for the work.

Royal Edinburgh, Asylum for the Insane.The annual meeting of the corporation of this asylum was

held in Edinburgh last week, when the managers’ reportshowed a very satisfactory position. After its adoption

Dr. Clouston presented his annual report ss physician-superintendent. In it he stated that the total number ofpatients treated in the asylum during the year had been1354, the average daily number being 901. There had been115 deaths, 70 of whom were men and 45 women. Dr.Clouston spoke of the limitations that continually met themin their treatment of disease, and showed how the brains ofmany human beings were doomed, even before birth, as aresult of heredity and how a man’s brain might be so

treated by himself as to bring about pathological changesthat could not be recovered from. He spoke of theterrible damage done by an excessive indulgence inalcohol, and stated that during the past year drinking hadbeen the cause of insanity in an unusually large proportionof their cases. He thought that this was possibly due to thefact that the previous winter had been an open one and tradegood, and therefore money more plentiful. Dr. Clouston saidthat the past year had been one of those common since 1890in which cases of depression of mind were equally frequentwith those of morbid elevation of mind. He believedinfluenza to be the cause of this change of type in mentaldisease. It had appeared in this country in 1890, and hadnever since left it. The appearance of this powerfulinfluenza poison in the world was to him the most strikingmedical fact of his time. He went on to state that theprogress of the year had been satisfactory and the healthof the patients on the whole good. Speaking of his visit tothe East last spring, Dr. Clouston contrasted the treatmentof insane patients in the East and at home, saying that anasylum he had seen at Damascus when compared with CraigHouse was as Hades to Paradise. The Eastern Christianlooked on an insane person as one possessed by the devil,and treated him with terrible forms of exorcism. TheMohammedan, on the other hand, looked on insanity as anevidence of special favour from the Almighty, and he was .

therefore tolerably kind to those thus afflicted.

Medical Lectures at Glasgow.At a meeting of the Glasgow Philosophical Society on the

1st inst. Dr. Neil Carmichael read a paper on House Sanita-tion, in which he discussed the circumstances in connexionwith the house which influence health, and more especiallyas these exist in large cities. Dr. Carmichael argued thatfrequently health was prejudiced by gas filtering throughthe soil, a condition which could only be met by laying thewhole basement with concrete. In connexion with drainagehe advocated that all appliances for the removal of wasteshould be placed in shafts or towers shut off by doorsfrom the house proper. He pointed out that in Glasgowthe prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis was inversely as thecubic space in the house per occupant. This was as dis-

tinctly a lesson teaching the need for fresh air as cholerademonstrated the need for pure water. If the lesson werelearned with regard to the construction of houses, the arrange-ments of streets, and the provision of open spaces, thehealth of the city would be enormously improved. Medicalmen and sanitary authorities could do something to educatepublic opinion, but the main responsibility rested uponarchitects, who practically had the solution of thequestion in their hands.-At a recent meeting of theGlasgow Dairymen’s Association a lecture was delivered byDr. R. Cowan Lees on Tuberculosis in Relation to

Milk-supply.-The free public lectures instituted by thesenate of the University of Glasgow continue to realisedecided success. On the last occasion Professor JohnYoung, M,D. Edin., was the lecturer, and he attracted a largeaudience to hear him discourse on the Historical Significanceof some of the Coins in the Collection in the HunterianMuseum. The next lecture is by Professor McKendrick,F.R S., whose subject is to be Sound Waves and the

Phonograph.Glasgow Cancer Hospital.

The annual meeting of subscribers was held on the25th ult. The medical report was submitted by Dr. DuncanMacartney, and a report on the district nursing by Dr. RobertJardine. These were adopted. Speeches defining the

position and scope of the hospital were made by Dr. Beatsonand Dr. Renton. No one doubts that the hospital does goodwork in r6lieving many who suffer from cancer in variousforms, but the general verdict of the profession is that allthis might have been accomplished without the expense of ahospital to enter into competition with the general hospitals,md without the formal organisation of a new hospital staff.


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